Speaker urges ministers to ‘respect the backbenchers’

Ahead of the urgent question on the post office scandal, the Speaker of the House Sir Lindsey Hoyle scolded ministers for briefing external media outlets on developments before addressing the House of Commons, telling ministers to “respect the backbenchers”.

It had emerged that Sky News were reporting on the story, having been “well-briefed” by the government last night before a minister was forced to address the House in an urgent question.

Hoyle told the House that he “didn’t want this to happen again”.